


Negation

by langmaor



Series: skillmates [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Gen, fegenweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 07:13:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15769173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/langmaor/pseuds/langmaor
Summary: She was truly glad - happy to keep fighting alongside a like-minded friend, delighted to use her staves to help a fellow woman, overjoyed to have her family waiting for her back home, and positively giddy, nay, absolutely exhilarated at the chance to burn the foolish goddess that had shaken her world to naught but ash and cinders.





	Negation

**Author's Note:**

> Nearly a year later this series gets an update kdfjgdkfg IM SOWWY! As usual, mild spoilers for part 5 of the game. This time we're looking at Nasir and Calill, who share the Nihil skill. Nolan? Who's that? IM KIDDING fwiw the black knight and nolan have it, Ike also gets it on promotion so we may or may not be revisiting this skill with another story. I'll def do another skill next though!
> 
> Negation is the German localization of the skill Nihil.

Calill let out a sigh as she slipped onto the floor, her legs glad for the rest. The last battle had been harder than usual on her, and she'd been hoping to collect her thoughts in solitude and gather herself for a moment.

Beside her, she heard the rustling of fabric giving away somebody's presence, and she didn't have to look to know who it would be.

Nasir's blue hair spilled over his shoulder, as picture perfect as ever despite the fight he'd been through. Well, two's company, she supposed.

"It's been a while, Calill," he greeted, an amicable smile on his face.

"That it has," she agreed. "Amy wondered what happened, you know. You suddenly stopped showing up."

"It's as you saw earlier. I had my hands full dealing with my liege..." Nasir shrugged, an apologetic grin on his face.

"Must've been tough," Calill said. "Sorry about... earlier."

"Nothing to apologize for," he assured her. "I would have done the same in your position. And... it was for the best."

For a moment, his gaze caught on Kurthnaga, still kneeling beside the late king's body, and Calill quickly changed the subject. "But hey, I have something for you."

Calill fished around in her small bag until she felt what she was looking for.

"Are those..." Nasir's voice trailed off.

"Afa's drops," Calill confirmed, smug. "I picked them up through an acquaintance a few months ago. Largo and I never really thanked you for the help you were after his accident."

"I did nothing so exceptional, but... are you sure you want to give this to me?"

Nasir had only heard about Afa's drops from the bedtime stories he'd been told as a child. The famous elixir that bestowed magical power unto whoever drank it... The excitement in his eyes was plain as day.

"Of course," Calill grinned. "Amy said we had to, just like in the story, you know?"

Nasir laughed. "Silly girl. Thank you, though."

He took the vial, barely bigger than the length of his palm. For such a small quantity to have the rumoured effect...

"That reminds me," he suddenly said, "I have something for you as well. Hold on a second, I left it with Ena..."

Calill watched Nasir rise and run off to find his granddaughter. Sometimes, it was painfully apparent - and she meant that only in the most endearing manner - that he was an old, old man.

The memory of how they'd reunited with Nasir after the Mad King's War surfaced in her mind, and she grinned as she recalled how she'd first noticed a suspicious figure, thoroughly cloaked and hooded, visiting their bar once every seven days. Both she and Largo had waited until the place was empty before approaching him; it was all fine if he just wanted to be left alone, but they needed to know if he was a danger.

The shady figure had just laughed before drawing back his hood. A mop of blue hair had spilled out, and they'd both gasped in recognition. The very same dragon they had said farewell to mere weeks ago after putting an end to the war!

Chuckling, Nasir had explained that he needed places thoughout Tellius to observe the public's demeanour and opinions for some purpose involving a medal? A medallion? Neither of them had cared much for the specifics. Since then, Largo and her had always covered for him whenever the other patrons got too nosy, and he always showed up with something or the other to gift to them.

...And even after that terrible accident poor Largo had to go through, Nasir had been such a blessing to have around. She could still remember how he had been ever present at Largo's side for the first week. The two would go away for a 'boy's day' or whatever they'd called it. 'This sort of thing needs some man-to-man support' and 'You can fish better with one arm since the killing intent of the other isn't sensed by the fish' were often the only things that got Largo out of his stagnation and into wheezes of laughter. And look at him now! He did the work of two men with a quarter of the limbs, grinning all the while.

Calill's face then turned grim as she also remembered one of those days, Nasir had shown up just as they were locking up, the outlines of a body tucked in his wet, dripping cloak. But before her thoughts could proceed further down that alley...

"Here it is," Nasir announced, holding out a tome he had carried close to his chest. Calill was about to berate how long he had taken to retrieve it... but she took one look at the ink, the thick parchment and runes and she knew.

"This isn't..."

It was now Nasir who was grinning smugly.

"But indeed it is. The legendary tome Forblaze."

Calill nearly squealed as she ran her fingers through the pages. She could already feel the fire, the passion contained within them, waiting to be released with a twirl of her finger and a chant at her lips.

"I'm glad it pleased you," Nasir said. "But I must say, I'll need that back as soon as this war is over. My king would have my head - even from the afterlife - if he came to know I gave it to a foreigner."

Calill finally tore her attention away from the beauty to listen to Nasir.

"You didn't! Did you really?"

"I simply judged there would be no better occasion to use it," Nasir said.

"That's one way to look at it," Calill laughed, still getting a good feel for the runes that made up the tome. Each one of them was so full of cleansing, unbridled will to purge all evil from the earth...

Nasir shifted to a more comfortable position, looking upwards at the seemingly endless flights of stairs as he spoke.

"By the way... How is Amy? She shouldn't have been petrified like the others. Is she...?"

"Yes, she's fine," Calill answered, thinking back to her daughter's brave face as she bid Calill goodbye. "I left her outside with someone she trusts - and I do, as well."

"That's good," Nasir breathed a sigh of relief.

Calill elbowed him in the side in response.

"Look at you, you grandpa. Aren't you glad you made friends with her? She's warmed right up to you, and after all that you were saying about wanting her to grow up without laguz influence."

Nasir averted his eyes, embarrassed.

"I'll admit that might not have been my brightest idea."

Calill sighed, putting the tome aside and letting her mind drift back to those memories.

"I still haven't forgiven you for that horrible shock you gave us, you know? Showing up soaked to the bone and in the dead of night, too."

"A thousand apologies," Nasir laughed. "I didn't think what it would look like."

"Geoffrey had to personally interrogate us about it! …Although, he usually showed up to drink anyways."

"I'll bet he stopped all those questions once he got a look at the little bundle of joy," Nasir added. He was a man who possessed the talent to brag about his children, and by god he was not afraid of using it.

"Of course he did! Who wouldn't be dumbstruck by face like that! Only further proof that she is indeed my daughter!"

"Hear, hear," Nasir declared.

"I still haven't gotten a chance to ask you for more details, though. What exactly were you up to when you found her?" Finally, she could ask him for the answer. The question had plagued her and Largo for months - they'd actually taken turns coming up with wild guesses. 'I'm telling you he's the stork that delivers babies, and that's all I'll say on that...'

Unaware, Nasir dropped his gaze to his lap. He began his story.

"I'd heard rumours of a ring of slave traders camping out in a forest. When I went…" he grimaced, unwilling to revisit the horrors of that night, "it was more than just slavery they were being used for."

"I was led to a room down below by the wails of a child - a room clearly used to dispose of their dead. They'd thrown a child to die over the course of days. With her parent, judging by the blackening corpse it was tucked into."

Calill felt tears crop up merely thinking about the situation her daughter had been in. She was no stranger to cruelty or death, but this... it tore at her heartstrings. Nasir once more turned his eyes upward and continued.

"Gallian forces would be there within hours after I submitted the information, so I gathered the child and made haste to the closest safe place I knew."

"Our place," Calill breathed.

"Indeed. Although I will say I didn't expect it to end so well."

"Neither did we," Calill exclaimed. "We only agreed to take her in for a night, but we got so attached to her... ended up naming her together... before I knew it, I was a mother."

"And she loved both of you all the more for it," Nasir softly chuckled.

"I sure hope so," Calill replied. "There are so many times I'm unsure if what I'm doing is best for her, if I'm being too hard on her..."

"I can relate," Nasir groaned out. "I'd rather go through this war again rather than raise my children once more."

"God, you're so old," Calill rolled her eyes.

"Now, now, it's not polite to bring up a dragon's age in-"

"That way of thinking is old too."

"Young people these days," Nasir grumbled.

_"Are you doing that on purpose?!"_

The dragon laughed. Against the background of the cold, barren Tower, the sound steadied Calill, further added to her resolve to see this through. Calill laughed with him as well. She could feel they were in the final stretch now - only a couple more fights and they would finally be done.

"I'm very glad for your companionship, Calill," Nasir spoke up. It came out of left field, and surprised her. "Really, I don't know what I'd do without you. First taking in Amy, and now these Afa's drops, not to mention your help with Ena..."

"Hey! Don't talk like we're not seeing the end of the next battle," she smacked him. "And I won't accept any thanks - what are friends for?"

Nasir chuckled. "A valid point. You truly are one of the most formidable beorc I've had the honour of meeting."

"Glad to know it," she grinned. "I'm happy to say the same. It's because of you that Largo and I are parents, and now this exquisite tome! It's too good for words."

They rose, having noted Micaiah and Ike already rounding everyone up for another stretch of walking.

"Before we need to depart, can I-" Nasir began.

"Yes, yes, the usual. Send Ena over here - it's quiet. You'll have to get my staff from the convoy though." Calill waved him off.

"Will do. And it's much appreciated!" The dragon was already on his feet, scurrying over to his granddaughter.

She had a brief moment to herself before Ena would arrive. Naturally, Calill dove into her own thoughts again.

In all the time she had known Nasir... she found a startling aspect of similarity between herself and him. In appearance and nature, she knew they could not differ more, but... in one respect they were the same. Their single-minded resolve to abandon all and lash out, no holds barred, against whatever threatened their loved ones. The fury of the parent, the ferocity of the guardian, the rage of the lover...

Calill roused herself. She was truly glad - happy to keep fighting alongside a like-minded friend, delighted to use her staves to help a fellow woman, overjoyed to have her family waiting for her back home, and positively giddy, nay, absolutely exhilarated at the chance to burn the foolish goddess that had shaken her world to naught but ash and cinders.

...And there was Ena! She looked to be in fine spirits, and came carrying the staff Calill had ordered.

"Greetings, Lady Calill. Grandfather bade me here, with this." Ena had a sweet smile on her face as she handed the staff over.

"Hello, Ena. I hope you're feeling good?" Calill examined her closely, grasping the staff firmly in her hands.

"I am well, thanks to you."

"That's great. Okay, I'm going to use my staff now. Let me know if you feel any pain..."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Feel free to let me know what you thought with a comment!
> 
> ALSO i didn't make the thing with Ena very clear because the story felt like it was getting bloated, but Calill is using a special staff she crafted to slightly 'reverse' a pregnancy. This way the baby Ena is carrying is always in the second trimester = Ena isn't at risk of giving birth anytime and she's also able to (VERY CAUTIOUSLY) help out in the battlefield. ITS... one of the only explanations that make sense..!
> 
> Edit 5 Dec 2018 - Thanks for the comments u guys <3


End file.
